Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #377, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! Coming to your inbox on a Tuesday this week, because it was a public holiday here in the US yesterday. Today I'm pondering whether it makes sense to write your own formulas anymore. AI tools are getting so good at writing formula syntax (and Apps Script code) that it doesn't make sense (economically at least) to spend hours crafting complex formulas yourself, if...
8 days ago • 5 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #376, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! I've been using Gemini and Gemini Canvas a lot recently for various projects. It's mind-blowing how quick it is at generating formulas and scripts that work. We're definitely at the threshold (or maybe already past it 🤔) where it doesn't make sense to write your own complex formulas or code from scratch (for specific problems with limited scope). Having said...
16 days ago • 3 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #375, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! We're still in an ice box on the east coast of the US with the snow set to hang around for a while yet. It's beautiful but I am looking forward to the ice melting so it's easier to get around. The Potomac river is covered with ice Today's newsletter is not directly related to Google Sheets. Instead, I'm sharing the sources I use to stay informed of AI...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #374, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! Coming to you from the cold and snowy East Coast of the US. We didn't quite get the 20 inches of snow forecast earlier in the week, but we did end up getting around 8 - 10 inches of very dry, powdery snow. And with the temps rarely getting above 20 F (-7 C) this week, it's going to stick around for a while yet. School is closed so you'll probably find me and my...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #373, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! January is a great time to sharpen your Google Sheets fundamentals: those small skills you build now that will save you time all year. One of the best examples is learning a few simple keyboard shortcuts, which is what we're going to see today. You probably already use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy and paste values, and can appreciate how this is quicker than...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #372, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! Hoping your 2026 is off to a great start! I'm feeling positive and optimistic for 2026, but reality has also kept me grounded ;) I've only had one work day so far (kids were off sick most of last week, thankfully both better) and I'm now under the weather myself. But it's not too bad and hopefully will pass within a day or two. I finally published my end-of-year...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Happy New Year! 🎉 Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #371, your first Monday morning espresso of 2026, in spreadsheet form! I usually write a year-in-review post over the holidays but this holiday was so busy that I didn't get round to it. It's a valuable exercise to reflect on the year gone and think about what I want to achieve this year. So I'm still planning to write one and will share it when I do. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and feel...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #370, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! This is the last Google Sheets Tips email for 2025. We're taking a break from publishing for the holidays and will return with Tip 371 on 5th January 2026. Thank you so much for reading and replying to these emails. I love learning from all of you when you write back and share your own tips and tricks (and occasional corrections! 😉 ). In the meantime, I wish you...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #369, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! We had our first snowfall of the season last Friday, so winter is definitely underway here in the Mid-Atlantic region. It was only a light dusting though, so the sleds are still hanging in the garage. For now. In this issue, we're looking at a clever way to add visual clues to our data tables with indicator arrows ▲🔻. And, if you're a Workspace customer, you must...
3 months ago • 2 min read